He hurried to tidy up the mess of hislavvu, cursing his slovenly ways as he did so. Light from the entrance a short time later informed him that Embla had raised the flap. He turned to face her, and was surprised by the teasing laughter in her eyes.
‘You have quickly returned to your old ways, I see.’
Embla smiled at the way he shoved his tools and clothing hastily to the sides of the tent. There was no order or care in his process, and she wondered how he managed to find anything in such chaos.
‘I am useless without you,’ he admitted, and she ducked into the small space, leaving Sten to enjoy the heat from the fire.
Embla crawled towards him over the skins he had used to cover the ground, and Runar rocked back onto his heels. There was barely enough room for him to lie down. But there were plenty of furs and blankets to keep them warm.
He shifted onto his knees, and when she raised herself up to meet him face-to-face, he reached for her in a rush of emotion. He captured her face in the palms of his hands and pulled her into a deep and passionate kiss.
It was as if she were coming home, and she sank into his embrace with a sigh of relief. There were no doubts with Runar; she knew he wanted to kiss her, and that he loved her company. He treated her with respect and kindness, wanting nothing but her affection in return.
‘Let this be the first night of our marriage,’ Embla whispered, gripping his face so that she could see him better in the darkness. There was still some light from the campfire, but it trickled in from holes around the entrance, the skins over the tent blocking most of it.
‘But...don’t you want a Norse ceremony? I do not want you to feel ashamed...’
‘We will ask agothito bless our union in the morning. I do not care what others say—I consider us married if you do.’
‘I do.’ He nodded quickly, tugging her close by the thick fur she wore over her shoulders. She smiled to herself at the speed he had abandoned theproperway of things.
‘You are still wearing the furs I gave you.’ He took off her hat and smoothed back her hair, his touch wonderfully soothing.
‘I am a mountain woman now. What else would I wear?’
A rich chuckle filled the tent and he tugged the heavy fur cloak away. ‘In my bed? Nothing.’
Fumbling with the clasp of her woollen cloak, she slipped that off her shoulders too, then reached for his clothing eagerly. They took it in turns to strip each layer of their warm clothing off each other’s bodies, pressing light, sweet kisses against one another’s lips between each layer.
The wind rustled the covers of thelavvu, but the air inside was warm from their impatient breaths as they finally knelt in front of each other naked. Their hands explored each other familiarly in the darkness, revelling in the warmth of their skin.
She lay down on the blankets, her hair spread around her as he covered her body with his own, his weight sinking down against hers in a way that filled her with longing. Their kisses became more passionately heated, their limbs sliding against each other as the anticipation grew.
‘I have wanted you since the first moment I met you,’ whispered Runar in her ear as his hand gripped her thigh and his hips pushed forward to slide against her. ‘I want to come home to you every night for the rest of my life. And, when I die, and fall into the endless sleep, all I want is to dream of you.’
Melting beneath him, she draped her arms around his neck to hold on to him like an anchor.
‘I love you,’ she whispered, ‘I have missed our home and our life together.’
‘That is the first time I have heard you call it home,’ he murmured, brushing kisses down her face and neck. His fingers touched her intimately with an easy confidence, born from their many nights of learning her. ‘I love you.’
‘And that is the first time I have heard you say it,’ she teased.
A secretive smile passed across his face, and he confessed. ‘You have heard it once before...’ Leaning down, he whispered the Sami phrase in her ear and she answered him with a passionate kiss.
A moment later, still breathless, she pulled enough away to sigh. ‘I will miss having people around me...’ She trailed her hands down his spine, loving the feel of his body stiffening beneath her touch, and the slight hitch in his breath. ‘So you will have to give me many children to make up for it... Asiidaof our own, and I am eager to begin...tonight...’ Her voice cracked with a moan as his fingers expertly built up the pleasure within her.
‘I will give you anything you want. I love you so much, you are part of my soul,’ he murmured, gathering her hips in his hands and positioning himself at her entrance.
She rose to meet him, guiding him into her body. He eased himself in gently, kissing away any discomfort with tender brushes of his lips against her neck. Sighing, she flexed her hips and arched her spine, pushing him deeper until they were fully bound together.
She had imagined this moment many times, had been tempted more than once to take this final step of intimacy, and now it was here, all she could think was how right it felt. To hold him and love him with the whole of her body and soul.
They began to rock in a slow, languid rhythm, their bodies working together in perfect harmony to build their passion. Eventually, the promise of release became too much, and Runar began to increase the pace. Embla clung to him, letting him carry her with him to climax.
In the darkness of their tent, they sighed each other’s names, their limbs entwined like mistletoe within a tree. Afterwards they buried themselves in the furs to keep out the chill, and Sten wiggled beneath the closed entrance to sleep inside with them. Guarding his two masters as they slept.
Chapter Twenty-Four
